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S01 949431    V 


Date  Due 

A 

Little  Journey 

Among 

Anconas 


By 
H.   Cecil  Sheppard 


Published  by 

H.   Cecil  Sheppard 

Berea,   Ohio 

1919 


Copyright  1919  by 

H.   Cecil  Sheppard 

Berea,  Ohio 


12642 


AMONG    ANCONAS' 


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AMONG    ANCONAS" 


AMONG    ANCONAS' 


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She  Loves  Anconas 


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A     LITTLE    JOCk.XEY 


Thoroughbred    An* 
conas    are    eager   Iay= 

ers If    you    have    a 

small  flock  of  a  dozen 
or  more,  you  are 
pretty  sure  to  find 
some  of  them  ''wait- 
ing at  the  nest"  for 
their  turn. 


Dear  Reader: 

Every  visit  to  a  strange  town,  every  trip  through  some  well- 
organized  factory,  every  interesting  book  you  read,  in  fact  every 
daily  round  of  duties  becomes  one  of  many  little  journeys  that  make 
the  sum  total  of  life. 

This  is  a  side  trip — a  little  journey  among  Anconas !  Forget 
everything  for  the  time  being  but  these  lively,  vigorous,  feathered 
beauties!  Catch  the  contagion  of  their  sprightly  animation!  Learn 
a  lesson  of  thrift  and  perseverance  from  their  habits  of  industry, 
both  summer  and  winter!  Satisfy  your  love  of  the  beautiful  in  their 
contrasting  colors,  brilliant  plumage  and  nobility  of  carriage. 

In  this  Little  Journey  I  have  tried  to  tell  the  Ancona  story  without 
prejudice  but  with  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm,  with  careful  attention 
to  accuracy  of  facts,  dates  and  details  secured  from  historical  sources 
and  to  all  my  observations  upon  my  own  personal  experience. 

I   sincerely   hope   you   enjoy  the  journey! 

Cordially  yours, 


^ 


President  International  Ancona  Club. 


AMONG    ANCONAS' 


13 


■-■. 


In  all  of  my  sale 
literature  I  emphasize 
the  superb  vitality  and 
the  laying  habit  pos= 
sessed  by  Anconas. 
Magnificent  energy 
pictured  in  this  snap* 
shot  is  a  good  example 
of  Ancona  pep. 


■PS 


"Who  Is  This  Man  Sheppard?" 

It  would  be  quite  natural  if  some  of  the  readers  of  this  book  were 
to  ask  that  question,  although  I  think  that  any  poultry  raiser,  whether 
he  owns  a  half  dozen  of  birds  or  several  thousand,  who  has  investi- 
gated the  leading  lines,  will  be  not  unfamiliar  with  my  name  and  some 
of  the  facts  regarding  our  organization  down  here  at  Berea. 

But  in  fairness  to  you  folks  who  will  take  this  little  journey  among 
Anconas  for  the  first  time — and  who  haven't  been  informed  as  to  our 
experience  and  success  with  Anconas — I  am  going  to  take  the  liberty  of 
reprinting  an  article  written  by  Earl  Whitney,  Poultry  Editor  of  the 
Chicago  Daily  Examiner,  and  printed  in  the  Sunday  Chicago  Examiner 
of  March  10,  1918.  I  am  sure  this  kind  of  a  visit  to  the  Sheppard  Farm 
won't  bore  you — and  it  will  serve  to  acquaint  you  with  our  wide  experi- 
ence, particularly  with  Anconas.  See  what  Earl  Whitney  has  to  say  about 
us — and  then  let's  go  on  with  our  little  journey! 


14 "A     LITTLE    JOURXEY 

Mr.  Whitney  Wrote 

Despite  the  fact  that  it  is  a  very  small  town  as  compared  to  its  neigh- 
boring city,  Cleveland,  Berea,  Ohio,  is  better  known  among  poultrymen 
than  Cleveland  and  many  larger  cities.  Berea  to  the  poultry  fraternity 
means  Anconas,  for  it  is  there  that  the  world's  greatest  Ancona  farm  is 
located,  and  it  is  from  Berea  that  thousands  of  these  famous  birds,  as 
well  as  many  thousand  hatching  eggs  and  baby  chicks,  are  shipped  to 
poultrymen  in  all  sections  of  the  country  and  many  foreign  lands. 

H.  Cecil  Sheppard  is  the  proprietor  of  this  wonderful  Ancona  farm 
and  the  originator  of  "Sheppard's  Famous  Anconas,"  famous  not  only 
because  of  many  years  of  unbeatable  record  at  that  greatest  of  all  poultry 
exhibitions,  Madison  Square  Garden.  Xew  York,  but  also  because  of  their 
remarkable  egg  production  qualities. 

Houses  4,000  Layers 

It  was  my  privilege  to  visit  this  great  farm  recently  and  gain  first  hand 
information  so  valuable  that  my  one  regret  is  the  lack  of  space  that 
prevents  giving  the  big  Examiner  poultry  family  detailed  particulars  of 
my  i  'bservations.  Were  people  able  to  personally  inspect  some  of  these 
big  farms,  the  desire  to  raise  chickens  would  be  greater,  perhaps,  than  is 
stirred  up  through  all  the  campaigning  and  educational  work  that  is  being 
done.    That  was  the  effect  upon  the  writer. 

The  recent  visit  to  the  nation's  noted  poultry  farms  resulted  in  his 
determination  to  some  day  be  in  the  "same  boat"  with  them,  and  the 
impression  will  always  be  with  him  that  it  is  the  one  "ideal"  life  aside 
from  the  fact  that  it  is  a  very  remunerative  business  and  one  in  which  small 
fortunes  have  been  made  by  individuals  who  had  little  or  nothing  with 
v  hich  to  make  their  start. 

Many  thousands  of  Anconas  grow  to  full  size  on  Mr.  Sheppard's 
farm  each  year,  and  something  over  4.000  layers  are  kept  throughout  the 
entire  year.  Forty  choice  breeding  pens  have  been  mated  this  season, 
varying  in  number  from  fifteen  to  thirty  birds  each.  All  this  in  addition 
to  many  breeding  flocks,  numbering  about  200  birds  to  each  flock. 

Thousands  of  eggs  for  hatching  and  thousands  of  baby  chicks  are  sold 
each  season.  The  incubator  plant  has  a  hatching  capacity  of  100.000  chicks 
for  the  seas'  >n. 


AMONG    AN  CON  AS"  15 


It  is  operated  by  gas.  In  fact,  the  farm  has  a  water  works  and 
heating  system  of  its  own  operated  from  its  own  gas  well. 

Anconas  Great  Layers 

It  would  be  difficult  to  find  egg  machines  the  equivalent  of  Anconas 
that  have  been  scientifically  bred  for  egg  production  as  they  are  on  Mr. 
Sheppard's  plant.  It  is  this  great  farm  and  its  efficient  proprietor  that 
have  made  the  Ancona  immensely  popular  and  placed  it  in  the  front  ranks 
of  the  producing  strains  of  pure  bred  poultry. 

Two  hundred  egg  records  and  higher  in  this  plant  are  more  the  "rule 
than  the  exception. 

The  poor  layer  is  the  exception,  and  in  twelve  years  of  careful 
breeding  and  selection  Mr.  Sheppard  has  perfected  his  laying  strain  to  a 
degree  that  the  poorest  layers  will  run  above  the  average  of  an  ordinary 
flock. 


16 "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 

Nothing  Overlooked 

One  point  that  forms  an  excellent  illustration  of  the  "ingenuity"  of 
the  man  behind  this  great  breed  is  shown  in  the  use  made  of  waste  space 
m  an  enormous  barn  which  was  on  the  farm  when  Mr.  Sheppard  bought  it. 

The  barn  is  seventy  five  feet  long,  hit}  feet  wide  and  forty  feet  high. 
Originally  there  was  but  one  floor — the  ground  floor.  Mr.  Sheppard  set  to 
work  at  once  and  put  in  three  additional  floors,  making  it  a  four-story 
barn,  and  filling  it  from  top  to  bottom  with  Anconas.  Everything  in 
much  the  same  way  as  this  big  barn  is  utilized  to  the  fullest  extent  and 
for  the  purpose  to  which  it  is  best  adapted. 

Even  the  large  apple  orchard  contributes  "its  bit"  to  the  welfare  of 
Anconas.  Here  one  will  see  twenty-five  to  thirty  colony  houses,  each  with 
a  capacity  of  seventy-five  two-month-old  chicks.  From  the  brooder  house 
the  chicks  at  the  age  of  two  months  go  to  these  colony  houses  and  within 
thirty  days  desert  the  colony  houses  to  roost  in  the  apple  trees. 

About  that  time  a  new  lot  of  chicks  are  ready  for  the  colony  houses, 
and  so  it  goes  on  throughout  the  summer,  until  by  fall  they  have  all 
graduated  to  their  places  in  the  trees  and  are  then  ready  for  winter 
quarters. 

Once  a  Back-Lotter 

"Four  Thousand,  Two  Hundred  and  Twenty-three  Dollars  in  One 
Year  on  a  Town  Lot"  is  the  title  of  a  book  by  Mr.  Sheppard,  telling  of 
his  success  twelve  years  ago  on  a  lot  in  the  suburbs  of  Cleveland.  "1 
started  with  very  little  knowledge  of  the  chicken  business  and  very  limited 
capital,"  he  said. 

"By  using  a  little  common  sense  I  succeeded.  Any  other  man  could 
do  the  same.  For  the  first  five  years  I  carried  on  the  chicken  business  as  a 
side  line,  for  I  was  a  traveling  salesman.  I  soon  discovered  the  returns 
from  my  side  issue  were  much  larger  than  my  salary,  so  I  resigned  my 
place  on  the  road  and  devoted  my  entire  time  to  my  chickens. 

"Any  man  of  average  intelligence  could  do  just  as  well,  if  not  better. 
It  is  all  a  matter  of  going  about  it  the  right  way.  There  is  no  reason  why 
any  city  man  should  slave  along  year  after  year  on  a  small  salary  when 
raising  poultry  pays  so  well." 


AMONG    ANCOXAS' 


17 


Members  of  American  Poultry  Association  visiting  Sheppard's 
Ancona  Farm.  Artist  Sewell  of  R.  P.  J.  fame  took  the  party 
unawares  with  his  camera  while  they  were  having  refreshments 
under  the  shade  of  the  big  oak. 


System  a  Keynote 

Mr.  Sheppard  conducts  his  business  along  such  excellent  systematic 
line-  that  it  is  safe  to  predict  many  a  big  business  concern  could  learn 
points  in  systematizing  through  a  study  of  his  methods.  One  hundred 
letters  is  considered  a  small  mail — more  frequently  inquiries  run  between 
200  and  300  per  day,  and  yet  the  replies  go  forward  the  same  day  upon 
which  the  inquiry  is  received. 

"'This,  then,  is  a  short  description  of  a  famous  breed,  a  world 
renowned  poultry  farm  and  the  man  who  has  done  much  to  uplift  the 
industry  and  place  it  upon  the  plane  of  science,  where  intelligence  and 
common   sense  are  the  chief   factors  of  success. 


To  such  men  as  Mr.  Sheppard  the  poultry  industry  owes  a  debt  that 
can  never  be  paid.  These  big  men  of  the  industry  are  responsible  for  its 
great  growth  and  development. 

Certain  it  is  that  Mr.  Sheppard  introduced  a  new  breed  into  this 
country,  perfected  it  both  in  beauty  and  egg  production,  popularized  it 
and  then   made  good  all  his  claims." 


18 "A     LITTLE    JOIKXHY 

The  "Ancona  King" 

From  Cleveland  Daily  Leader 

H.  C  Sheppard,  the  "Ancona  King,"  of  Berea,  has  won  enough  blue 
ribbons  to  build  a  tent.     He  has  by  extreme  patience  brought  this  nifty 

breed  to  the  front  and  made  it  immensely  popular. 

American  Poultry  Journal 

By  Prince  T.  Woods.  M.  D. 

Hot  classes  in  both  S.  C.  and  R.  C.  Ancona  classes.  There  were 
plenty  of  good  birds  in  and  out  of  the  ribbons.  H.  Cecil  Sheppard' s  first 
R.  C.  cockerel  was  good  all  over,  and  we  had  him  out  of  the  cage. 

The  Pittsburgh  Dispatch 

By  J.  Leonard  Pfeuffer,  Poultry  Editor 

I  just  want  to  say  that  the  Anconas  are  certainly  becoming  more 
popular  each  and  every  season.  They  can  thank  H.  C.  Sheppard  for  this, 
'-  1  believe  he  is  doing  more  for  the  Anconas  than  all  other  breeders  put 
together.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  Anconas  are  doing  a  great  deal  for 
him  also.  Well,  they  are  undoubtedly  a  very  handsome  fowl  and  when  it 
comes  to  producing  eggs  and  lots  of  them,  they  will  take  no  back  -eat 
f<  >r  any  variety. 

Origin  of  Anconas 

I  am  well  aware  of  the  tact  that  breeders  of  other  poultry  refer  to 
the  mottled  Ancona.  in  derision,  as  "the  old  speckled  hen.''  1  am  not 
going  to  stop  to  defend  tile  "old  speckled  hen" — although  there  is  enough 
sentiment  connected  with  her  so  that  one  could  write  a  book  on  that 
subject.  I  gathered  her  eggs  when  1  was  a  youngster — and  probably  yon 
did  too — "holding  back"  several  dozen  <>n  Grandma  along  about  Easter- 
time  ! 

But  if  Anconas  are  speckled — or  mottled,  which  is  the  right  word  t  i 
use — it  is  because  they  have  been  this  way  for  many,  many  decades  back 
in  sunny  Italy,  from  which  country  they  originally  came. 

We  are  informed  that  in  their  own  country,  and  in  the  province  and 
city  of  Ancona,  Italy,  they  are  considered  superior  to  other  breeds  as 
producers  of  eggs,  in  beauty  and  for  the  quality  of  meat.  An  examinati*  n 
of  all  available  records  gives  no  basis   for  the  supposition  that   Anconas 


AMOXG    ANCONAS"  19 


are  a  patched  up,  manufactured  strain.  On  the  other  hand,  there  are 
plenty  of  facts  in  poultry  history  to  carry  out  my  emphatic  contention 
that  Anconas  were  a  separately  defined  breed  of  poultry  twenty  years 
hefore  our  own   Civil  War   started. 


Anconas  originated  on  the 
Eastern  Shore  of  Italy. 


The  first  record  we  have  of  this  remarkable  breed,  of  course,  comes 
from  Ancona,  which  is  a  large  maritime  town  of  Italy,  on  the  Adriatic 
.Sea.  134  miles  northeast  of  Rome.  It  is  noted  for  its  fine  harbor  adapted 
for  building  and  repairing  ships.  It  is  said  to  have  the  finest  marble  arch 
in  the  world.  Last,  but  not  least,  it  is  noted  as  being  the  original  home 
of  this  great  and  noble  breed  of  fowls.  About  half  a  decade  before  this 
town  became  a  part  of  the  Italian  kingdom,  Anconas  were  first  introduced 
into  England,  in  the  year  1852,  where  they  have  gained  great  prominence. 
In  about  1890  they  were  imported  into  America.  They  have  made 
wonderful  progress  against  the  strong  competition  of  other  breeds. 

The  origin  of  the  Ancona  is  not  known  definitely.  There  is  a 
difference  of  opinion  on  this  subject.  Some  claim  one  thing  and  some 
another.  They  probably  originated  from  a  cross  between  the  Black 
Valdano  and  the  common  fowl  of  Italy.  Some  believe  they  were  evolved 
through  years  of  breeding  by  the  peasants  of  Ancona.  In  Italy  they  are 
found   in   various  colors,   such   as  red,  yellow   and  mottled. 


20 "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 

Some  Ancona  History 

I  have  before  me  what  is  called  the  "Poultry  Book,"  compiled  by  a 
number  of  authorities.  In  this  there  is  a  quotation  from  the  United  States 
Consul  of  Belgium,  dated  in  1893.  stating  that  "A  company  has  been 
formed  for  egg-production  in  the  Province  of  Liege,  called  the  'Societe 
Belge-Italienne,'  for  the  purpose  of  importing  hens  from  Italy  which 
would  lay  throughout  the  winter.  This  company  does  a  large  business. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  Italian  fowls  are  chosen  in  preference  to  the 
English;  they  are  shipped  at  Padua.  In  the  transit,  the  mortality  is  only 
cue   per  thousand." 

I  should  like  to  comment,  at  this  point,  on  two  facts  in  that  quotation. 
This  company  was  formed  for  the  express  purpose  of  importing  a  special 
kind  of  hen  (Anconas)  from  Italy  which  would  "lay  throughout  the 
winter."  This  is  one  of  the  outstanding  characteristics  of  all  worthy 
Anconas — they  are  supremely  superior  to  other  strains  because  of  their 
exceptional  industry  even  during  the  severest  winter  weather.  They  seem 
to  thrive  on  hardship. 

This  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  temperature  varies  tremendously 
in  their  native  country — from  below  zero  in  some  sections  to  108°  above 
only  comparatively  few  miles  distant. 

The  second  fact  I  wish  to  emphasize  is  the  low  mortality  rate  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  these  shipments  were  made  under  the  crude  conditions 
which  existed  back  in  1893.  This  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  same  hardy, 
vital  characteristics  which  have  won  for  Anconas  their  name  of  being 
great  winter  layers. 

Another  writer  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  would  have  been  a 
very  easy  matter,  provided  Anconas  were  a  "manufactured"  breed,  to 
have  called  them  "mottled  leghorns" — simply  adding  another  type  to  the 
leghorn  family.  I  will  admit  that  had  this  been  done  it  would  have 
removed  a  handicap  by  classing  them  with  so  well  known  and  popular  a 
family  as  the  leghorn.  The  fact  that  no  effort  has  been  made  to  change 
their  style  distinction  from  Anconas  to  mottled  leghorns,  is  pretty  strong 
proof  to  me — were  any  required— that  any  doubts  as  to  their  origin  are 
positively  without  justification. 

Now  I  should  like  to  read  just  a  sera])  or  two  from  another  book 
called  "Origin  and  History  of  All  Breeds  of  Poultry."  which  is  recognized 
as  an  authority. 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  21 


"'The  fact  that  Anconas  are  known  under  the  head  of  the  Spanish 
breeds  does  not  indicate  that  they  came  originally  from  Spain.  They  were 
brought  to  that  country  from  some  point  in  the  East,  through  the 
Mediterranean. 


The  above-mentioned  book,  speaking  of  the  ideal  Ancona,  states :  "In 
shape  and  form  the  standard  requirements  are  the  same  as  those  of  the 
leghorn.  They  are  of  the  Spanish  group,  being  somewhat  larger  than  the 
leghorn.  The  plumage  is  beetle-green  ground  (almost  a  jet  black),  the 
feathers  tipped  with  white,  evenly  mottled  throughout,  with  no  tendency 
to  lacing.  Shanks  and  toes  yellow  or  yellow  shaded  or  mottled  with 
black.  Wattles  red,  ear  lobes  white.  They  are  non-setters,  and  exceed- 
ingly good  layers." 


In  a  few  moments  you  are  going  to  see  how  much  like  the  foregoing- 
standard  requirements  are  the  Anconas  being  raised  by  numerous  breeders 
under  present  day   conditions. 


40  Degrees  Below  Zero 

North  Dakota. — From  the  original  start  of  eggs  that  I  purchased 
from  you.  my  utility  flock  of  40  pullets  laid  during  the  month  of  February 
435  eggs  and  there  was  not  a  day  during  February  that  the  thermometer 
registered  above  20  below  zero  here  and  about  10  days  out  of  the  month  it 
was  40  below  zero.  These  same  40  pullets  produced  884  eggs  in  March 
and  the  first  part  of  March  was  cold  too.  They  did  not  hit  their  stride 
until  the  middle  of  March  and  after  that  I'll  tell  you  they  have  been 
going  some. — H.  W. 


It  Was  20  Degrees  Below  Zero 

Indiana. — Never  in  my  life  have  I  seen  such  busy  chickens  as  the 
Anomas.  1  went  out  on  the  4th  of  January  and  got  my  eggs  just  the 
same  and  it  was  20  degrees  below  zero  that  morning,  and  I  can  hardly 
express  myself  how  well  pleased  I  am  with  them.— S.  S.   M. 


22 "./     LITTLE     JOi'RSLY 

408  Eggs  In  January 

Indiana.— My  25  Ancona  pullets  laid  408  eggs  in  the  month  of 
January,  the  coldest  month.— J.  E.  D. 

Eggs  All  Winter! 

Ohio. — I  am  well  pleased  with  the  Ancona.     It  makes  me  feel  prettj 
good    to    get   eggs    all    winter    when    my    neighbors    are    not   getting    any. 
I  .   W.    K. 

Extreme  Cold  Zero  Weather 

Ohio. — The  fifty  baby  chicks  arrived  in  splendid  condition  on  July  17. 

We  raised  them  all.  They  are  laying  tine.  Began  laying  December  18. 
During  the  extreme  cold  zero  weather  the  cold  has  no  effect  on  their,. 
One  man  told  us  we  would  not  get  any  eggs  before  spring  from  these 
pullet.-.  They  surprised  us  all.  Have  tried  several  different  breeds,  but 
Ana  »nas  for  us. — J.  H.  1 1. 

A  Wonderful  Record 

Maine. — 1  have  six  Ancona  pullets  and  a  cockerel  hatched  on  July  12. 
They  commenced  laying  the  following  December  27.  1  have  averaged 
nearly  five  eggs  every  day  from  my  six  pullets.  They  have  been  laying  at 
tins  rate  since  January  17  and  are  still  going  it.  This  is  surely  a  wonderful 
record  considering  our  very,  very  cold  winters.  It  proves  all  you  claim 
tor    the    remarkable    laying    qualities    of    Sheppard's    Famous    Anconas. — 

W.  X.  c. 


The  Ideal  Ancona — In  Shape 

There  are  two  varieties  of   Anconas — Rose  and   Single  Comb. 

There  is  absolutely  no  difference  between  these  varieties  except  in  the 

comb  itself.  The  Single  Comb  was  the  first  to  be  imported  to  this 
country,  and  they  are  somewhat  more  spectacular  in  appearance — hence 
their  greater  popularity,  but  the  Rose  Comb  are  in  favor  wherever  raised. 
It  is  a  matter  of  personal  preference — there  isn't  the  slightest  difference 
in  their  inherent  good  qualities,  behavior  nor  beauty  apart  from  the  comb 
itself. 


AMOXG    ANCONAS" 


23 


The  true  Ancona  shape  is  similar  to  that  of  the  leghorn,  with  the 
exception  that  the  body  is  somewhat  longer  and  deeper — built  on  a  some- 
what broader  "wheel  base,"  so  to  speak.  This  feature  gives  them  the 
advantage  as  egg  producers.  The  male  is  very  alert  and  presents  a 
stunning  figure  in  carriage.  His  neck  is  long  and  nicely  arched,  while 
the  neck  of  the  female  is  medium  long  and  carried  well  up  on  the  body. 
The  breast  is  full,  broad  and  carried  well  forward.  The  tail  of  the  male 
bird  is  full  and  carried  comparatively  low,  while  the  female's  tail  is  neat 
and  carried   well  out. 


The  highest  type  of  Ancona  development  is  not  characterized  by  the 
tin    perpendicular    squirrel   tail.      This    objection    has   yielded,    like   other 


24 "A     LITTLE     JOLRXLY 

faults,  to  skillful  breeding.     We  now  have  many  beautiful  males  as  well 
as   females,  with  tails  at  an  angle  of  about  45  — slightly  lower  if  anything 

— which   I  consider  ideal. 

The  diagrammatic  comparison  sketches  the  ideal  Ancona  shape  with 
the  parallelogram  body  as  compared  with  the  inefficient  shape  oi  the 
cockerel  in  the  triangle.  This  parallelogram  indicates  the  alert,  vigorous 
body  as  compared  with  the  weak,  ill-supported  triangular-shaped  body. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  pick  out  a  proud  Ancona  male  bird:  he  car 
himself  in  a  lordly  manner  with  all  the  dignity  of  a  Senator.  There  is 
nothing  drooping  about  him:  his  tail  does  not  droop;  nor  do  1  advocate 
a  drooping  tail,  as  some  critics  have  suggested.  The  tail  that  drags  on 
the  ground  is  fully  as  disadvantageous  as  the  tail  that  sticks  straight  up, 
or  nearly  so.  like  the  rear  appendage  of  a  common  gray  squirrel. 

The  English  fancier.  I  sometimes  think,  has  gone  in  more  for  devel- 
oping freak  points  of  the  Anconas — which,  of  course,  can  be  done  with  any 
1  reed  of  poultry.  He  has  been  breeding  a  comb  with  five  to  seven 
serrations,   the  blade   following  the  lines  of  the  neck. 

i  )r\  this  point  American  breeders  differ  more  than  on  any  other.  The 
ideal  comb  in  this  country  has  five  serrations  with  the  blade  leaving  the 
neck  at  the  head  and  curving  upward. 

I  consider  the  selection  of  a  male  bird  very  important,  since  this  fowl 
is  the  basis  of  flock  vitality  and  large  egg  production.  You  can  distinguish 
the  ideal  Ancona  bird  by  his  full,  deep  breast,  well  rounded  abdomen, 
powerful  legs,  set  quite  far  apart,  his  broad,  strong  back,  and  here  are 
some  other   points  to  look   for. 

Pick  out  a  handsome  fellow  with  a  long  back,  slightly  sli 
downward  to  the  tail,  with  no  apparent  angle — just  a  slight  upward, 
sweeping  curve — at  the  tail.  His  tail  ought  to  be  carried  at  an  angle  of 
40  or  45°,  but  it  is  letter  to  be  a  little  lower  than  too  high.  The  head, 
and  especially  the  comb,  should  be  as  near  perfect  as  possible.  The  comb 
is  the  first  thing  that  is  noticed  in  a  bird  and  is  naturally  very  prominent 
because  of  j^  flashing  red  against  the  black  and  white  background  of 
the  body. 

Females  of  good  shape  have  long  bodies  with  tails  carried  at  an  angle 
of  about  35',  good  head  points,  plump  combs  with  five  serrations  or  less, 
fiee  from  side  spriggs  and  folds,  and  mottled  in  accordance  with  sugges- 
tions on  the   following  pages. 


AMOXG    AXCOXAS" 25 

Pennsylvania.— The  cockerel  and  pullets  you  sent  me  last  Tune 
arrived  in  good  condition.  The  pullets  commenced  to  lay  in  July  and  they 
are  laying  now  and  the  cold  weather  had  no  effect  on  them  at  all.  They 
arc  all  you  claim.  When  I  go  to  feed  them  the  cockerel  will  fly  on  my 
shoulder  and  I  can  walk  with  him  all  over  the  yard  and  I  can  go  into  the 
kitchen  and  then  take  him  off  my  shoulder  and  set  him  down.  He  is  as 
tame  as  a  dog. — J.  K. 


The  Ideal  Ancona— In  Color 

Ancona  color  is  black  mottled  with  white.  Many  other  birds  run  to 
various  colors,  causing  a  confusion  to  raising,  but  it  is  easy  to  remember 
that  Anconas  are  simply  the  one  combination:  the  mottled  black  and 
white.  To  be  sure,  the  black  is  a  beautiful  and  lustrous  rich  black,  with 
a  clean,  sharp  white  contrasting,  and  the  combs  are  brilliant  red.  You 
can  understand  why  this  contrasty  combination  of  colors,  together  with 
the  superb  carriage  of  Anconas,  makes  them  the  world's  leaders  in  point 
of  beauty  and  charm.    They  appeal  both  to  the  artistic  and  the  practical. 

An  all  black  or  a  nearly  black  Ancona  is  a  freak  type,  the  result  of 
some  faddist's  dream.  We  will  give  the  English  credit  once  more  for 
sending  the  warning  in  time  and  enabling  all  Ancona  breeders  to  gel 
back  on  the  beaten  track  with  well  mottled  Anconas.  When  an  Ancona 
ceases  to  lie  mottled,  it  will  cease  to  lie  an   Ancona. 

The  ideal  feather  is  black  with  a  slight  greenish  sheen,  with  a  white 
tip.  The  feather  is  dark  color  to  the  skin,  whereas  the  white  portion  on 
the  tip  is  sharp  and  distinct  as  illustrated.  The  old  standard  required  a 
white  tip  on  each  and  every  feather.  This  has  been  very  difficult  to 
produce.  It  is  objectionable  on  account  of  too  much  white,  having  a 
tendency  to  make  the  birds  too  light  in  color,  which  detracts  from  their 
beauty— and  after  all,  this  point  of  color  is  one  which  concerns  beauty 
rather  than  utility.  The  revision  committee  has  changed  the  standard  to 
read  a  white  tip  on  every  fifth  feather.  This  will  enhance  their  beauty 
and  doubtless  meet  with  the  approval  of  the  majority  of  other  breeders. 

Avoid  objectionable  purple  barring.  You  are  going  to  be  disappointed 
if  you  possess  Anconas  perfect  in  every  other  detail  except  this  one  of 
to,,  much  purple.  Some  judges  will  pass  birds  on  this  one  point  alone. 
The  beak  should  be  yellow  with  black  or  dark  brown  shadings.  The  iris 
of  the  eyes  is  a  bright  orange  red  with  a  hazel  pupil. 


/     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


The  fact  Of  the  worthy  Ancona  is  so  bright  as  to  almost  be  called 
intelligent — and  who  will  say  that  birds  do  not  possess  real  intelligence? 

The  face  and  wattle-  arc  of  a  bright  red.  with  the  face  free  from  white, 
bar  h>lies  are  white  or  creamy  white,  although  some  red  is  found  in  the 
ear  lobes  of  most  flocks.  English  breeders  favor  yellow  mottled  legs. 
The  American   standard  calls   for  yellow   or  yellow   mottled   with   black. 

Anconas  are  very  beautiful  even  from  the  fluffy  yellow  and  black  baby 
chick  period.  As  they  mature  from  babyhood  Ancona  chicks  never 
encounter  the  poorly  dressed,  half  starved,  awkward  stage  common  to 
most  young  fowls.  Raisers  declare  that  they  are  attractive  and  graceful 
every  day  of  their  lives.  Those  who  have  had  experience  with  Anconas 
can  appreciate  this  point.  Naturally,  breeding  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with 
this.     We  are  speaking  of  thoroughbred  Anconas. 


Arkansas. — Anconas  arrived  Friday  somewhat  jaded  over  their  trip. 
but  they  are  looking  fine  and  dandy  today.  1  admire  them  very  much 
indeed.  I  was  under  the  impression  they  would  be  wild.  Never  saw  a 
more  gentle  bird.  Why.  they  are  little  pet>.  Thank  you  very  much  for 
the  care  yon  to  <k  in  selecting  my  Anconas. —  C.  S. 


The  Ideal  Ancona — In  Size 

As  I  have  already  emphasized.  Anconas  are  primarily  an  egg  breed. 
This  is  their  first  and  greatest  virtue  and  it  is  one  that  appeals  to  the 
average  person  because  the  biggest  profit  in  the  poultry  business  is  in  eggs. 

Anconas  need  to  be  just  large  enough  so  that  they  can  retain  in  their 
bodies   sufficient  vitality  to  produce  eggs  prolificacy  and  systematically- 
arid  they've  sufficient  size,  but  no  "surplus  baggage."    There  is  much  more 
money  in  producing  four  legged  animals   for  meat  than  to   raise   poultry 
ti  »r  the  profit  in  meat. 

Anconas  will  lay  satisfactorily  for  two  or  three  years  longer  than 
any  of  the  heavy  breeds  of  poultry  and  it  doesn't  take  very  many  dozen 
eggs  to  make  up  the  entire  cost  of  what  one  would  secure  for  a  carcass. 

The  Ancona  is  slightly  larger  than  the  leghorn,  mature  females  weigh- 
ing four  to  five  pounds,  and  occasionally  six.  The  males  weigh  five  to  six. 
and  sometimes  a  pound  more  than  that.  For  a  time  breeders  favored 
extra    size,    but   they    found    themselves   getting   away    from   the   dominant 


AMOXG    ANCONAS" 


27 


merit  of  Anconas  and  in  securing  size  were  losing  out  on  the  egg  produc- 
tion end.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  in  my  early  experience  I  had  Ancona  males 
weighing  nine  and  a  half  pounds  dressed,  but  found  that  these  extra  large 
birds  did  not  produce  layers.  If  size  did  not  interfere  with  egg  yield, 
T  would  prefer  a  bigger  bird.  But  it  is  eggs  we  are  after,  eggs  that  will 
pay,  and  eggs  you  will  get  from  Anconas,  so  I  endeavor  to  breed  as  large 
as  possible  without  injuring  the  laying  qualities  of  the  strain. 

Another  point  in  favor  of  the  small  bird  is  that  five  of  them  will  eat 
no  more  than  three  of  the  large  varieties— and  they  do  not  tend  to  get 
broody.  They  occupy  less  floor  space.  It  would  be  natural  if  yon 
concluded  that  they  laid  smaller  eggs,  but  this  is  not  the  case.  Anconas 
lay   large  white  eggs  which  get  top  market  prices. 


28 "A     LITTLE    JOCRXLV 

I  do  not  favor  small,  undersized  birds.  I  believe  you  will  agree  with 
me  that  the  ability  to  lay  eggs  abundantly  is  the  noblest  and  greatest 
ambition  a  lien  can  be  entrusted  with. 


Tennessee. — The  cockered  came  through  safely  in  good  shape.  He  is 
making  himself  at  home  and  is  very  gentle.  Your  stock  is  not  wild. 
Thank  you  for  your  kindness  and  courtesy  in  this  matter. — \Y.  II.  M. 


Mating  and  Breeding  Anconas 
The  Kind  of  Male  To  Use  In  Breeding  Pens 

A  few  years  ago  I  reluctantly  parted  with  a  splendid  first  prize  pen 
at  Madison  Square  Garden,  Xew  York — I  am  serious  when  I  say  "reluc- 
tntly"— for  $500.00. 

Permit  me  to  explain  in  this  book  just  about  as  I  did  to  the  purchaser 
of  this  prize  pen.  how  I  made  my  stock  produce  the  beautiful  birds  that 
commanded  "millionaire"  prices  and  are  still  the  most  intensely  practical 
of  all  breeds. 

The  sire  of  this  noble  pen  was  a  first  prize  cock  at  the  Garden  the 
previous  year.  I  considered  him  almost  an  ideal  specimen.  He  weighed 
about  six  pounds,  very  fine  head  points,  a  splendid  comb,  a  good  long 
back  with  excellent  tail  carriage,  well  spread  out  and  carried  at  the  proper 
angle.  I  appreciate  that  some  breeders  advise  "Don't  get  the  tail  too 
low."  Look  over  their  flock  and  you  will  see  that  there  is  mighty  little 
danger  of  their  ever  getting  the  tails  too  low!  Where  you  find  one  tail 
a  little  bit  low.  you  will  find  ten  thousand  altogether  too  high.  They  should 
be  just  high  enough  to  maintain  the  carriage  of  vigor  and  good  balance — 
not  drooping  in  a  slouchy  way — and  decidedly  not  stuck  up  straight  like 
the  tail  of  a  gray  squirrel. 

This  fellow's  body  was  long  and  deep.  I  have  mentioned  body  shape 
on  a  previous  page.  Many  birds  have  long  bodies  but  are  not  deep  enough 
for  good  Ancona  type — they  musn't  be  too  slim.  This  line  specimen  had 
a  good  pair  of  yellow  shanks  and  he  certainly  stood  up  splendidly  on 
them.  His  legs  were  well  spread.  The  slight  green  sheen  on  his  dark 
color  was  entirely  free  from  purple  barring.  His  mottling  was  fine  and 
distinct  and  evenly  spread  in  nearly  all  sections.  His  tail  was  solid  black 
with  white  tips,  and  almost  black  wings  with  many  feathers  tipped  with 
white. 


AMONG    ANCONAS" 


29 


Females  For  Breeding  Pens 

The  class  of  females  mated  to  the  male  I  have  described,  in  order 
tc  produce  the  pen  of  birds  referred  to,  are  illustrated  on  Page  66.  This 
picture  will  give  you  a  good  idea  of  the  markings  and  shape. 

Do  not  breed  from  a  female  with  a  high  tail — always  select  a  bird 
with  low.  well-spread  tail.  In  selecting  females  for  color,  if  you  overlook 
shape  you  overlook  a  strong  point,  because  without  proper  shape,  the 
great  usefulness  of  the  Ancona  would  be  limited. 

1  select  females  as  near  standard  requirements  as  possible,  with  good 
dark  wings  and  tail  and  line,  even  mottling.  If  you  breed  Anconas  you 
will  probably  wonder  at  the  hue,  even  mottling  I  refer  to,  which  may  be 
absent  from  your  flock.  Don't  be  discouraged!  It  has  taken  us  many 
years  of  mating  and  breeding  to  get  the  line,  even  mottling  I  consider 
necessary  in  the  ideal  Ancona. 

In  the  case  that  you  are  breeding  for  utility  only,  do  not  condemn  a 
bird  with  more  white  than  the  standard  calls  for  because  frequently  these 
more  freely  mottled  birds  are  as  good  layers  if  hatched  from  eggs  from  a 
good  laying  strain.  Color  has  very  little  to  do  with  their  ability  to  lay. 
In  our  utility  matings  we  count  much  more  on  shape  than  on  color.  In 
our   exhibition   matings   the   birds   must  have  both    shape  and  color. 


30  "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


The  standard  of  perfection  states  that  Anconas  must  have  80  per  cent 
of  their  feathers  black  and  only  20  per  cent  with  a  white  tip.  excepting 
on  the  male's  back,  where  90  per  cent  of  the  feathers  are  black.  This 
would  mean  a  bird  practically  black  when  looking  at  him  from  20  feet  or 
more  away.  I  would  scarcely  consider  this  an  ideal  bird.  It  is  results  we 
are  after,  and  I  believe  you  will  agree  with  me  that  the  illustrations 
throughout  this  book  of  Anconas  typify  a  very  handsome  specimen, 
which   i>  slightly   more   white  than  the   standard   of  perfection   called    for. 

I  have  been  working  for  a  happy  medium  between  the  present  and  the 
old  Standard,  with  just  enough  white  tips  to  give  each  bird  a  snappy 
appearance  and  bring  out  the  sharp  contrast  between  white  and  black  so 
necessary  in  beauty. 

Breeding-  For  Egg  Production 

In  grouping  together  these  splendid  matings  to  produce  such  unusual 
exhibition  birds,  it  would  be  well  to  keep  in  mind  that  a  female  is  never 
considered  as  a  candidate  for  any  of  my  breeding  pens  unless  she  has 
behind  her  a  remarkable  egg  record — an  actual  trap  nest  record.  I  shall 
probably  never  get  away  from  the  idea  of  breeding  first  for  egg  production 
— and   then   building   other   points   of  quality   afterwards. 

Line  Breeding 

For  the  information  of  readers,  I  publish  below  an  article  from  the 
American  Poultry  Advocate  and  a  chart  by  Mr.  I.  EC.  belch,  on  lime 
breeding,  which  applies  equally  to  Anconas  and  all  other  strains.  This 
will  show  you  how  line  breeding  is  accomplished  and  new  strains 
produced.  It  is  a  process  that  requires  much  patience  and  expense  in 
keeping  complete  records  of  the  various  matings.  Line  breeding  is  hardly 
practical  for  the  average  breeder.  Even  many  successful,  large,  skilled 
breeders  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  purchase  male  birds  of  a  different 
blood  line.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  large  poultry  breeders  who  make  a 
business  of  furnishing  breeding  stock,  can  always  furnish  breeders  with  a 
different  blood  line  so  that  you  can  introduce  vigor  and  vitality  into  your 
bio.  id   from   time  to  time. 

"Air.  I.  K.  belch,  the  veteran  judge  and  breeder  of  America,  many 
years  ago  published  in  a  little  book  of  his.  called  Poultry  Culture,  a  kind 
«'f  a  chart  showing  at  a  glance  the  main  principle  on  which  this  should  be 
done.  We  have  evidence  that  this  chart  lias  actually  been  of  practical 
benefit  to  several  well-known  breeders  in  England,  even  as  then  published; 


AMOXC    AN  CON  AS 


31 


7 his  superb  single  comb  Ancona  cock  represents  the  highest  pres^ 

ent  development  of  this  type,     fie  was  one  of  my  winners 

at  Madison  Square  Garden. 


"A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


but  in  some  subsequent  correspondence  Mr.  Felch  has  kindly  -em  us  an 
improved  form  of  it.  which  we  here  reproduce,  making  a  little  further 
modification  to  make  its  meaning  more  clear.  We  suppose  the  -tram  to 
originate  from  two  individual-  only,  though  in  the  case  of  fowls,  of 
course,  several  hens  or  pullet-  might  he  used  as  one  of  the  units.  In 
that  case,  however,  all  should  he  of  the  same  breeding.  (It  need  hardly 
he  pointed  out  that  in  this  case  the  scheme  may  he  carried  out  with  less 
in-breeding  at  the  first  stages,  as  a  cockerel  might  he  hred  hack  to  an 
aunt  instead  of  to  the  mother.  But  unless  the  hens  or  pullets  are  full 
sisters,  the  result  will  not  lie  the  same  or  have  the  same  certainty.  (  Hence 
the  utility  of  the  recording  nest-boxes  mentioned  further  on.)  The  two 
original  units  must,  of  course,  he  perfectly  vigorous  and  healthy,  and 
either  unrelated  or  only  distantly  related  in  blood.  They  should  always 
he  from  different  yards,  for  it  is  found  that  even  change  of  ground  has 
some  effect  in  producing  the  different  blood  which  has  so  much  to  do 
with  avoiding  constitutional  disease.  Taking  our  two  original  unit-. 
then  Mr.  Fetch's  chart  shows  how  they  may  he  bred  so  as  to  maintain 
health  and  vigor. 

"In  reading  this  chart,  every  dotted  line  means  a  female — i.  e.,  a  hen 
or  pullet,  and  every  unbroken  line  a  male.  Wherever  two  such  line- 
meet  at  a  point  the  circle  at  that  point  denotes  the  produce  of  the  mating. 
hearing  a  number  distinguishing  it  as  a  group  or  product;  while  the  frac- 
tion outside  the  circle  denotes  the  mixture  or  proportion  in  that  product 
of  the  hlood  of  the. two  original  units  from  which  is  hred  the  strain.  The 
first  year,  for  instance,  the  original  pair  produce  group  2,  whose  hlood  is 
half-and-half  of  each.  The  second  year  the  original  female,  or  one  of 
them,  is  hred  to  a  cockerel  from  group  2,  and  the  original  male  to  a 
pullet  from  group  2.  Thus  are  produced  groups  3  and  4,  each  of  which 
possesses  three-fourths  of  the  hlood  of  the  unit  on  its  own  side  of  the 
diagram.  Mere  begins  the  real  work  of  the  hreeder,  since  these  mates 
now  taken  from  group  2  must  be  most  carefully  selected  to  type,  accord- 
ing to  that  'course  of  selection'  which  we  have  already  discussed.  From 
the  very  first  all  depends  on  this,  and,  of  course,  the  two  original  units 
have  heen  chosen  with  equal  care,  so  far  as  money  and  opportunity  allowed. 
The  third  year  a  cockerel  from  group  3  is  mated  with  the  original  hen  to 
produce  group  5,  and  pullets  from  group  4  to  the  original  male  to  produce 
-Toil])  7.  all  of  which  possess  seven-eighths  of  the  blood  of  their  own  side, 
and  are  to  he  rigorously  selected  true  l<>  type  as  before. 

"But  the  most  noteworthy  mating  this  year,  to  which  we  would  call 
special  attention,  is  that  of  a  pullet  or  pullets  from  group  3,  with  a  cockerel 


AMONG    ANCONAS" 


33 


!'~~*M  ^"?*1^^. 

y^0 

WW 

fm 

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* 

:^>T^, 

r,.,T,  *"•■    .     4 

7li/s  noMe  /?ose  Comb  Ancona  lad  is  another  one  of  my  Madison 
Square  Garden  winners — and  a  splendid  fellow  of  his  type. 


'A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


from  group  4.  producing  group  6.  It  will  be  seen  that  all  the  members  of 
group  6  possess  equal  or  half-and-half  blood  from  the  original  parent-,  as 
much  so  as  group  2.  We  also  mate  a  pullet  from  group  5  and  a  cockerel 
from  group  7,  each  of  these  owning  seven-eighths  of  the  blood  of  one 
ancestor;  and  we  again  produce  in  group  10  a  progeny  whose  blood  is 
half-and-half.  Now  suppose  we  had  mated  brothers  and  sisters  from 
group  2  to  produce  half-and-half  blood  and  age  of  group  6.  and  brothers 
and   sisters  of  these  to  produce  similar   equality   of   blood  at  the  age  of 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  35 

group  10  the  result  of  such  incestuous  in-breeding  would  have  been  swift 
degeneracy.  As  it  is,  we  have  made  out  matings  from  lines  characterized 
mainly  by  the  original  male  and  female,  and  yet  preserved  the  same 
mathematically  exact  equality  of  hlood  in  our  group  10.  A  generation 
farther  on  we  can  produce  group  15  as  shown,  from  groups  9  and  11  ;  or 
we  might  have  mated  groups  8  and  12 ;  or  the  produce  of  the  former  may 
he  mated  with  that  of  the  latter.  We  have  thus  seen  how  it  is  possible 
to  keep  up  the  half-and-half  blood  of  a  cross,  intact  and  exact,  without 
any  loss  of  size,  fertility,  or  vigor. 

"We  also  see  plainly  from  this  chart  that  by  the  time  we  have  reached 
the  stage  even  of  group  10,  we  have  got  in  our  hands  practically  three 
strains:  for  while  group  10  possesses  equal  blood  of  both  sides,  group  8 
has  thirteen-sixteenths  of  the  blood  of  the  hen,  or  practically  represents 
the  female  line,  while  group  12,  in  like  proportion,  possesses  the  blood  of 
the  male  line.  Vet  all  are  related  sufficiently  to  prevent  evil ;  and  all  have 
gone  through  the  same  'course  of  selection'  towards  our  own  fixed  type. 
From  this  point  we  have  ample  material  to  go  on  with  indefinitely,  and 
need  not  pursue  the  matter  further.  The  next  row  of  groups  simply 
-how-  some  of  the  results  in  the  next  generation.  But  one  point  more 
ma}'  be  illustrated.  Suppose  that  for  some  reason — as  for  special  cockerel 
or  pullet  breeding  mating — we  want  to  establish  also  a  line  of  sires  in 
which  predominates  the  blood  of  the  original  female.  The  chart  shows 
a  cockerel  from  group  5  mated  with  a  pullet  from  group  3,  and  a  cockerel 
pom  the  produce  in  group  8  mated  with  a  pullet  from  group  10.  The 
result  in  group  13  gives  us  the  same  proportions  of  blood,  but  derived 
through  a  cockerel  line  of  breeding. 

"Whenever  a  cross  is  necessary  in  a  strain,  such  a  chart  also  shows 
the  procedure  that  should  be  followed.  The  cross  is  treated  as  a  new 
unit,  and  its  produce  remated  back  to  the  home  strain  in  the  same  way, 
carefully  selecting  for  the  desired  type  as  before.  This  is  what  breeders 
and  fanciers  term  'breeding  hack'  to  a  strain,  and  the  philosophy  of  it 
can  be  clearly  understood  from  such  a  diagram  as  that  before  us.  Every 
cross  thus  involves  more  or  less  breeding  back  to  the  'line'  afterwards  ;  but 
this  need  not  he  carried  to  the  extent  of  incestuous  matings,  or  interfere 
with  vigor  in  any  degree.  The  out-cross  is  not  used  as  immediate  material. 
hut  to  provide  either  pullets  or  cockerels  for  really  breeding  into  the  strain 
the  f(  >lli  iwing  year." 

The  key  to  successfully  carrying  on  this  work  of  breeding  in  line  is 
in   the   words: — "Here   begins   the  real   work  of  the  breeder,   since   these 


36  "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


niates  now  taken  from  group  2  must  be  most  carefully  selected  to  type,'' — 
and  again  "are  to  be  rigorously  selected  true  to  type  as  before."  Not  only 
must  they  be  selected  true  to  type,  but  they  must  be  selected  with  a  special 
view  to  full  strength  and  vigor,  and  every  specimen  rejected  that  shows 
the  least  bit  of  weakness,  or  lack  of  vigor.  If  the  breeder  will  but  lift 
himself  to  that  high  level  of  "selection"  he  need  have  no  fear  of  incurring 
the  painful  penalties  of  inbreeding.  Mr.  Wright  himself  is  strenuous  for 
the  most  painstaking  care  in  selecting  the  breeders.  When  considering  the 
introduction  of  new  blood  into  the  strain,  by  an  out-cross,  he  says : — "In 
all  cases  birds  from  the  cross  should  be  selected  for  further  breeding  with 
unusual  care,  with  even  most  rigorous  severity,  because  the  newly  intro- 
duced tendencies  have  to  be  guarded  against." 

That  selecting  with  "even  most  rigorous  severity"  is  where  the  many 
will  fall  down,  especially  in  selecting  with  a  view  to  the  utmost  of  strength 
and  vigor ;  if  poultrymen  would  only  surely  do  this  last  there  would  be 
comparatively  few  complaints  of  lack  of  stamina  in  the  stock, — of  poor 
hatches,  chicks  dying  in  the  shell,  of  the  countless  ills  and  ailments  with 
which  so  many  flocks  are  afflicted.  And  what  an  immense  uplifting  there 
would  be  in  the  profits !  Let's  "select"  with  "most  rigorous  severity'" ! — 
Courtesy   of    American    Poultry   Advocate. 


How  and  What  To  Feed  Anconas 

Because  of  their  naturally  hardy  constitutions,  Anconas  don't  need 
to  be  pampered,  milk-fed  and  babied.  They  thrive  under  severe  condi- 
tions where  other  birds  would  keel  up  their  toes  and  die.  They  lay  eggs 
in  cold,  drafty,  ramshackle  houses,  when  heavier  birds  would  merely  exist. 
But  my  experience  has  shown  me  that  under  certain  sets  of  conditions 
Anconas  will  produce  the  maximum.  And  I  am  very  glad  to  pass  along 
to  you  folks  who  are  taking  this  little  journey,  some  of  my  thoughts 
relative  to  breeding  Anconas — these  ideas,  of  course,  will  apply  with 
almost  equal  force  to  every  other  breed  of  poultry — particularly  when  you 
are  after  egg  production. 


AMONG    ANCONAS' 


37 


Feed  for  egg  production. 


Here  are  the  two  feed  formulas  I  adopted  some  time  ago 


DRY    MASH 

Coarse  bran  200  lbs. 

Cornmeal    100  lbs. 

Gluten  feed   100  lbs. 

Ground  oats 100  lbs. 

Standard  middlings 100  lbs. 

Beef  scrap   100  lbs. 

Low  grade  flour 25  lbs. 


DRY    GRAINS 

Cracked  corn 50  lbs. 

Wheat   70  lbs. 

Heavy  white  oats   40  lbs. 

Barley   20  lbs. 

Kaffir  corn   10  lbs. 

Buckwheat    10  lbs. 

Coarse  beef  scraps 10  lbs. 


38  "A     LITTLE     JOL'RXEY 


1    favor  wheat  because  the  grain  is  small,  easily  digested,  and  I  ( 
i:    is   rich   in   protein   and  mineral   matter.     Corn,   when   fed  alone,   hi 
enough  protein  and  too  much    fattening  and  mineral  matter.     Barley  and 
buckwheat   are  also  rich  in    fat. 

Dry  mash,  bran,  beef  scrap,  oyster  shell,  grit  and  charcoal  shoul 
kept   before  your   fowls  constantly  in  hoppers. 

During  the  winter  months,  when  the  hens  are  confined,  they  should 
be  fed  green  cut  bone,  about  three  pounds  to  100  hens  per  day.  Skimmed 
milk,  curdled  thick,  makes  a  good  substitute  for  green  hone.  I  get  excellent 
results  without  feeding  wet  mashes,  but  wet  mashes  are  good  if  not  1  i 
wet.  A  mash  moistened  with  milk  makes  dainty  iced  for  your  hen-.  1 
get  good  results  with  dry  mash. 

To  insure  the  proper  amount  of  exercise  during  the  winter,  it  is  besl 
to  throw  the  grain  in  litter,  and  compel  the  hens  to  scratch   for  it. 

Green  food  must  not  be  overlooked.  When  it  is  not  convenient  to 
feed  lawn  clippings,  sprouted  oats,  alfalfa  meal,  cabbage  or  mangels  are 
splendid. 


Housing  and  Equipment 

I  have  designed  and  completed  several  styles  of  houses  which  are  in 
use  on  my  farm,  and  I  have  also  tried  out  designs  developed  by  several 
well-known  poultry  men  so  as  to  find  out  just  what  housing  conditions 
would  prove  the  best  suited  to  the  disposition  of  Anconas. 

The  two  styles  illustrated  are  my  favorites.  Style  A  is  very  econom- 
ical for  anyone  who  wishes  to  limit  his  investment  in  buildings.  This 
house  is  15x20  feet.  It  has  a  flat  roof  five  feet  in  front  and  eight  feet  in 
the  rear.  It  can  be  used  as  an  excellent  brooder  house  by  installing  a 
Colony  brooder  stove.  When  the  birds  are  ready  to  leave  the  brooder, 
take  out  the  stove.  The  feathered  flock  can  lie  wintered  in  the  same 
building  to  save  removing  them  to  other  quarters.  We  have  a  number  of 
these  houses  on  my  Berea  farm. 

By  placing  the  lower  side  toward  the  south,  the  high  side  may  be 
used  for  one  row  of  conditioning  coops  the  full  length  of  the  building, 
without  using  any  floor  space.  This  arrangement  makes  an  excellent 
combination  brooder  and  conditioning  house.  In  case  conditioning  coops 
are   not   desired,   the  high   side  is  placed   t    ward   the   south   to  admit   more 


AMONG    ANCOXAS' 


IS 


Style  A  Poultry  House 


sunlight,   whether   used   for  hrooder  or  laying  houses. 

As  a  good,  sensible,  all-the-year  round  house.  Style  B — a  building 
24x30  feet — is  very,  very  pleasing  to  me.  It  is  cool  in  summer  and  plenty 
warm  in  winter.  There  is  a  ventilator  that  keeps  the  house  dry  and  the 
air  more  pure.  Without  the  ventilator  this  house  will  be  damp,  so  by  all 
means,  install  this  particular  style  of  ventilator  in  this  type  of  house. 
The  ventilator  is  constructed  by  nailing  boards  across  two  studdings  about 
fifteen  inches  apart,  near  the  center  of  the  building  above  the  droppings 
board.  Then  continue  the  boards  along  the  roof  to  the  siding.  You  had 
better  start  these  boards  about  six  inches  above  the  droppings  board.  Be 
sure  to  cut  away  the  siding  at  the  highest  point  at  the  end  of  the  ventilator 
to  allow  the  damp,  impure  air  to  pass  outside.  The  ventilator  terminates 
at  the  highest  point  of  siding,  directly  under  the  roof. 


In  these  buildings  rjn  my  farm,  the  water  supply  is  obtained  from  a 
cistern  under  the  cement  floor  of  each  building.  These  cisterns  are  square 
and  built  of  concrete.  It  is  easier  and  cheaper  to  build  the  cisterns  this 
shape  than  round  and  I  consider  them  just  as  satisfactory.  Furthermore, 
when  the  buildings  are  scattered  over  considerable  space,  the  time  saved 
in  watering  soon  pays  for  the  cost  of  putting  in  the  cistern. 


4,. 


"A    LITTLE    JOURNEY 


Style  B  Poultry  House 


In  concluding  these  paragraphs  on  poultry  houses,  I  am  going  to  quote 
from  my  other  book — popularly  called  the  Town  Lot  Book — from  the 
chapter  on  poultry  houses. 


"What  constitutes  a  successful  poultry  house?  I  should  say  one  that 
keeps  the  birds  in  perfect  comfort  and  health,  and  enables  them  to  produce 
the  largest  yield  of  eggs.  Of  course  you  don't  get  eggs  from  poultry 
houses — but  if  you  take  the  same  identical  birds  and  put  them  in  one 
house  and  then  change  them  to  another,  there  may  be  a  decided  difference 
in  the  egg  yield,  just  because  of  the  conditions  provided  by  the  'fowl' 
dwelling. 


"I  am  certain  that  a  light  and  airy  house  wi 
and  that  a  dark,  stuffy  house  absolutely  will  not. 
in  egg  production  are : 


encourage   egg  laying 
The  three  big  factors 


1— food 
2— light 
3 — air 


AMONG    AN  CON  AS"  41 


Remarks  On  Chicken  Parks 

The  chicken  parks  should  be  as  generous  as  the  ground  will  permit. 
The  ideal  park  would  have  a  southern  exposure.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  plant 
fruit  trees  in  the  parks,  and  these  will  furnish  the  chickens  with  shade 
as  well  as  the  table  with  lots  of  fruit.  The  parks  should  be  cultivated 
often  in  the  early  spring.  If  the  parks  are  long  enough  it  is  well  to  fence 
oft  the  part  farthest  from  the  laying  house  and  sow  it  with  rape.  This 
not  only  furnishes  the  chickens  with  an  excellent  green  food,  but  also 
keeps  the  ground  sweet  and  fresh.  It  is  important  to  have  the  parks  built 
on  high  ground  as  well  as  the  houses.  In  case  the  high  ground  cannot  be 
secured,  be  sure  that  the  parks  are  well  drained,  because  the  chickens  will 
not  do  well  where  they  have  to  stay  in  parks  that  are  wet  for  several  days 
after  every   rainstorm. 

I  realize  that  the  moment  I  begin  to  recommend  different  types  of 
equipment,  that  1  am  wading  out  into  deep  water,  water  that  is  likely  to 
become  "hot" — but  I  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  book  that  I  was  going 
to  give  you  as  much  of  my  experience  as  I  thought  would  be  helpful  and 
I  intend  to  keep  my  word  even  if  I  put  myself  in  the  position  of  advertis- 
ing some  of  my  good  friends.  I  don't  expect  you  to  agree  with  everything 
I  say.  My  only  excuse  for  laying  bare  my  experience  is  because  that  is 
what  you  paid  for  when  you  purchased  this  book  and  my  equipment 
must  be  fairly  satisfactory  or  I  would  not  have  been  able  to  take  a  profit 
from  it.     It  is  results  that  count,  after  all! 


Ideal  Fancier's  Stock 

Unquestionably,  "Famous"  Anconas  are  becoming  the  ideal  fancier's 
-tuck;  they  are  in  great  favor!  The  contrast  of  black  and  white  in 
their  plumage,  the  beautiful  dappled  effect,  results  in  a  wonderfully 
handsome  bird.  They  are  alert  and  striking  in  carriage,  as  well  as 
very  graceful.  Such  striking  appearance  do  they  present  that  they  seem 
always  to  be  on  dress  parade.  Unlike  some  birds  they  do  not  require 
washing  before  you  can  show  them.  You  will  certainly  appreciate  this 
point  if  you  have  ever  gone  to  the  trouble  of  washing  birds  before 
sending  them  to  the  show. 


-: 


"A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


Here's   a   Poultry   Cantonment. 


I  am  going  to  show  you  a  picture  of  what  !  call  my  "poultry  canton- 
ment." This  shows  one  end  of  the  building.  It  is  heated  by  natural  gas 
cx^d  lighted  by  electricity.  Here  in  sturdy  individual  wire  barracks  with 
wooden  frames,  my  birds  receive  their  training  for  the  shows.  Mere  the 
prize  winners  you  order  get  their  setting  up  exercises  so  that  they  won't 
get  bashful  and  ashamed  when  on  exhibit — although  1  have  never  seen  a 
shy   and    retiring   A  no  ma  ! 


When  you  receive  a  bird  with  which  you  expect  to  go  up  against 
fierce  competition  at  shows,  it  is  fairly  well  broken  to  the  game — not 
I earful  and  wild  in  a  small  coop— and  it  knows  how  to  behave  itself  in 
limited  quarters  so  that  it  will  make  you  proud   of  Anconas. 


AMOXG    ANCONAS' 


43 


A  corner  in  one  of  the  incubator  cellars.     These  machines  are  all 
heated  by  gas  from  a  gas  well  on  the  farm. 


I  am  simply  showing  you  this  so  that  you  can  see  to  what  extent  the 
breeding  of  Anconas  may  be  carried.  There  is  unlimited  opportunity  for 
scores  of  large  operators  in  this  one  held. 

In  the  incubator  cellars — one  of  which  is  sh  >wn  just  above,  I  operate 
the  Prairie  State  Incubators.  Last  year  I  added  eighteen  of  these  fine 
incubators  to  our  equipment.  Of  course  there  are  a  great  many  good 
incubators  on  the  market — and  I  believe  that  all  standard  makes  do 
excellent   work. 

It  so  happened  that  after-testing  out  a  number  of  different  makes,  we 
invariably  secured  better  results  with  this  particular  type.  Possibly  that 
was  due  to  the  peculiar  conditions  existing  in  our  incubator  cellars, 
possibly  my  own  personality  adapted  itself  better  to  some  features  in  the 
machine.     Certainly  I  approached  this  matter  of  standardizing  on  incubator 


44 


"A     LITTLE     JOIKXLV 


>»S/«**T** 


Among   the   "Piano  Box"    Colony   Houses  on  Sheppard's   Famous 
A  neon  a   Farm — plenty   of   cooling   shade. 


equipment  with   an  unbiased   mind   since  I   have  no   financial   interests  in 
any  incubator  concern. 


Ancona  hatching  eggs  are  valuable.  We  secure  high  prices  for  the 
baby  chicks  so  it  is  very  important  that  we  take  off  as  many  good,  large, 
strong,  healthy,  vigorous  chicks   from  our   eggs   as   possible. 

If  you  should  be  interested  in  writing  to  the  Prairie  State  Incubator 
Company,  they  have  a  factory  at  Homer  City,  Pa.  and  their  catalog  will 
give  you  all  the  details  about  their  machine. 


AMONG    ANCOXAS' 


45 


Interior  of  a  section   of   one  of   the   brooder   houses.      This  one 
building  has  a  capacity  of   10,000   chicks  a  season. 


Then  on  this  page  you  see  an  interior — a  partial  view  of  one  of  my 
brooder  houses.  This  particular  building  has  a  capacity  of  10,000  chicks 
a  season.  The  Buckeye  Standard  Colony  Brooder,  manufactured  by  the 
Buckeye  Incubator  Company  of  Springfield,  Ohio,  has  been  adopted  on 
my  farm  as  standard  brooder  equipment.  It  is  the  nearest  foolproof, 
costs  less  to  operate,  requires  less  attention  and  saves  the  most  chicks  of 
any  brooder  I  have  ever  used. 

They  Are  Perfect  Little  Dears 

Ohio. — Chicks  arrived  in  splendid  condition  on  April  25  and  I 
certainly  do  think  they  are  perfect  little  dears.  They  are  aU  living  with 
the  exception  of  one  that  got  mashed,  and  are  spry  as  can  be  and  as  tame 
as  a  kitten.  I  thank  you  again  for  being  so  prompt  in  shipping  and  in 
fulfilling  every  part  of  your  agreement.  I  certainly  shall  boost  your 
Anconas  to  all  interested  in  chickens. — R.   M.   R. 


46 


"A     LITTLE    JOUKXLY 


Here     is    another     piece    of    equipment    manufactured    to    my    own 
special  order,  which   I  catalog  and  price  and  sell  direct. 


Why  You  Should  Use  Perfection  Automatic  Hoppers 

Because  they  save  a  great  amount  of  labor. 

Because  they  cut  down  your  feed  bill.     Keep  your  feed  from  wasting,  and 

keep  the  mice  and   rats   away. 
Because  you  get  better  results — larger  and   healthier  chickens   and   many 

more  eggs. 
Because  you  can  iec<\  the  chickens  a  well  balanced  mash  and  not  have  the 

trouble  of  mixing  wet  mashes. 
Because  your   hens   convert   dry   mash   into   c</</s.  instead   of    wasting  their 

energy  digesting  grain. 
Because   your    fowls    will    be    more    vigorous,    consequently    will    lay    more 

fertile  eggs,  and  you  will  hatch  more  livable  chicks. 
Because    it    is    made    larger    at    bottom    than    top    to    prevent    teed    from 

clogging. 
Becau>e   you    can   hang   it    outside.     The   ic-d    is   protected    from   the  rain. 
Because  the  dust  settles  on  the  flange  and  not  on  the  feed. 
Because  it  is  made   from  galvanized   steel,  and   will  last  a  long  time. 
Because  I  have  tried  several  kinds  of  hoppers  and  find  that  the  Perfection 

gives  the  best  results. 


AMOXG    ANCONAS" 


47 


Because    it    will   pay    for    itself    in   one   year   by    saving    feed,    labor,   and 
increase  egg  production. 

The  first  cost  is  very  slight  when  you  think  of  what  it  will  save  you. 
The  Perfection  Dry  Mash  Hopper  is  the  modern  way  to  feed  your 
chickens.  Order  today.  By  Parcel  Post  or  Express,  charges  prepaid  to 
any  part  of   United   States   or  Canada. 

Chick  size.  $1.50.  Large  size  (16  quarts).  $3.00.  Large  size  made 
with  four  partitions  to  feed  grit,  oyster  shell,  charcoal,  bran,  etc.,  for 
$3.75.     Discount  on  quantity  orders. 

For  Sale  by   H.  CECIL  SHEPPARD,  Berea,  Ohio 


While  I  am  speaking  about  equipment,  you  may  be  interested  in 
noting  the  type  of  packages  we  use  for  making  shipments  of  chicks.  And 
here  also  we  show  the  one  in  which  our  Ancona  chicks  are  packed  for 
long  journeys. 


Group  of  day=old  chick  shipping  cases. 


~> 


1     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


This  illustrates  the  boxes  I  use  for  shipping  hatching  eggs. 
The  one  on  top  is  ready  to  receive  the  eggs.  The  one  on  the  right 
is  packed  with  eggs  and  the  cover  partly  on.  The  box  on  the  left 
is  ready  for  shipment,  and  contains  IS  eggs. 


A  shipment  of  Sheppard's  stock  ready  to  start  on  the  long  trip  of 
12,000  miles  to  far-away  Australia. 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  49 


I  would  also  consider  an  indispensable  part  of  the  equipment  on  the 
average  poultry  farm,  my  Town  Lot  Book  which  is  not  a  bit  theoretical 
but  intensely  practical.  Possibly  you  already  have  this.  If  not,  you  will 
be  interested  in  seeing  a  picture  of  it  and  reading  what  some  of  my 
associates  have  to  sav. 


From  American  Poultry  Journal 

This  book  is  the  sworn  statement  of  H.  Cecil  Sheppard  of  how,  with 
a  very  limited  knowledge  of  the  poultry  business  and  small  capital,  he 
built  up  a  business  which  grew  in  a  few  years  from  $160  to  $9,500. 

Mr.  Sheppard,  being  frequently  approached  for  information  regarding 
his  successful  chicken  business,  finally  decided  to  write  a  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  his  method,  giving  his  actual  experience  step  by  step. 

Howl  any  person  of  ordinary  intelligence  and  common  sense,  by  follow- 
ing the  ideas  contained  in  this  book,  may  develop  a  good  business  and 
attain  an  independent  income. 

Practical  information  from  a  practical  standpoint,  not  theories,  but 
the  actual  result  of  one  man's  experience  and  the  detailed  account  of  how 
he  did  it.  taking  up  breeding,  care  of  poultry,  poultry  houses,  etc.  What 
to  do  each  month,  shipping  marketing,  and  any  minor  but  important 
incidents  not  included  in  the  ordinary  poultry  book. 


50 


•A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


*4t>E   MA** 


This  design  is  the  trade  mark  I  use  in  all  of  my  advertising 
matter,  in  my  100  page  illustrated  catalog,  the  follow-up  circulais 
I  use,  and  in  my  advertisements  in  all  of  the  poultry  journals. 
Successful  Farming,  Country  Gentleman  and  other  publications. 
I  continually  repeat  this  so  as  to  identify  my  particular  strain  of 
poultry.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  a  trade  name  which  you  can 
''tie  up"  to  your  advertising,  whether  you  get  out  one  piece  or  a 
lot  of  pieces. 


(Sp^te 


^r 


AMOXG    ANCONAS"  51 


I  Received  the  100  Eggs  All  O.  K. 

.Missouri. — I  received  the  100  eggs  all  O.  K.  and  not  one  was  broken. 
They  were  well  selected  and  packed  in  the  best  way  of  any  hatching  eggs 
1   ever  bought  before. — G.  W.  L. 


Received  In  Perfect  Condition 

California. — The  shipment  of  hatching  eggs  ordered  of  you  was 
received  in  perfect  condition.  Out  of  14  eggs  I  hatched  13  nice  healthy 
chickens,  which  1  must  say  is  very  good.  They  are  very  pretty  and 
growing  nicely. — W.  E. 


Special  Offer 


A  splendid  reproduction  of  a  painting  of  a  handsome  pair  of  Anconas, 
suitable  for   framing. 

Hundreds   of    Ancona   lovers    have   ordered    from   me   copies   of    this 

beautiful    reproduction.      You    will    find    it   most   interesting   to   have   this 

idealized  print  to  show  your  friends,  and  also  as  a  standard  toward  which 

you   can    work   in   breeding  Anconas.     You  will  always   be  proud  to  have 

f   these   splendidly   reproduced   paintings. 

Sent  by   mail,  postpaid,    for  25c  each,  or  6  for  $1.00. 


The  poultry  disease  chart  appearing  on  the  following  two  pages, 
was   carefully  compiled   and   published   in   the   Country  Gentleman. 

This  covers  practically  ever)-  known  poultry  ill  worthy  of  considera- 
tion, and  is  somewhat  lengthy  only  because  of  its  absolute  completeness. 
1  would  consider  it  safe  to  follow  the  treatments  advocated.  This  will 
be  of  greatest  help  in  the  event  of  emergencies.  If  anything  goes 
wrong,  look  up  the  symptoms  on  this  chart  and  apply  the  corrective 
treatment. 


52 


"A     LITTLE    JOURXLY 


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AMONG    ANCOXAS" 


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and  1  of  turpentine. 

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clean    up    runs ;    remove    worms 
with    commerciali    wire    extrac- 
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spoonfuls   of  following  in   every 
ten    quarts    of    mash :      I    pound 
pulverized     gentian,     *4     pound 
pulverized      ginger,      %      pound 
pulverized    saltpeter,     J/2    pound 
iron   sulphate. 

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way  ;  give  plenty  of  green  feed  ; 
see   that   ash    content   of   ration 
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54 


'A     LITTLE    JOURS EY 


A  Symposium  On  Anconas  As  Egg  Machines 
Are  Anconas  Winter  Layers?    Listen! 

Indiana. — I  have  a  nice  d  ick  of  Anconas  developed  from  my  purchase 

fr<»ni  you  that  have  opened  the  eyes  of  the  people  around  here  a-  winter 
layers.  My  flock  of  100  pullets  and  two-year-old  hens  have  produced  <>0 
per  cent  as  many  eggs  as  a  flock  of  700  White  Leghorns  on  a  plant  near 
me  which  is  operated  by  an  experienced  p  lultryman  and  have  not  had  a 
scientific  ration  ivvd  daily  to  force  them  to  do  so.  1  am  also  able  to  top 
his  price  one  and  two  cents  per  dozen  on  accounl  of  the  larger  eggs 
produced  by  Anconas.  Every  dealer  who  buys  my  eggs  for  th< 
time  comments  on  the  superior  size  of  the  eggs  and  tells  me  "This  is  the 
nicest  hasket  of  eggs  I  ever  handled."  I  might  he  suspicious  of  being 
fed  taffy  hut  the  extra  price  tells  me  differently.  One  dealer  has 
me  to  contract  my  entire  output  to  him  as  he  wants  them  for  his  fancy 
fade.— W.   II.   H. 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  55 


Sold  His  Leghorns.     Why? 

Virginia. — 1  do  believe  when  you  gave  your  Anconas  the  name  "Best" 

you  gave  them  no  more  than  they  deserved,  not  only  as  far  as  Anconas  are 
concerned  but  1  believe  they  are  the  most  profitable  fowl  there  is  in  the 
standard  of  perfection.  My  pullets  have  laid  line.  Your  Anconas  lay  such 
nice  eggs  and  ate  less  than  my  While  Leghorns  so  1  sold  my  Leghorns 
and  now  keep  only  your  strain. — F.  L.   H. 

A  Very  Good  Average  For  Seventeen  Pullets! 

Oklahoma. — The  Ancona  baby  chicks  I  bought  of  you  came  by 
express  all  the  way  from  Ohio  in  good  shape.  The  pullets  commenced 
to  lay  when  live  months  old.  During  the  hve  months,  from  October  15th 
to  March  15th,  the  seventeen  pullets  laid  an  average  of  over  twenty-one 
eggs  each  month  for  each  pullet.  This  1  consider  remarkable,  considering 
the  winter  season,  and  hreaks  the  record.  I  challenge  any  other  person 
to  equal  this  record  with  the  same  number  of  pullets,  for  the  same  length 
of  time,  and  during  the  winter  season. — J.  S.  C. 

— By  November  15  Were  Laying 

Missouri. — Last  year  we  bought  three  settings  of  your  eggs.  The 
hens  hatched  from  your  eggs  have  broken  the  record  in  this  part  of  the 
county  for  laying  and  everybody  is  calling  for  eggs  to  set.  We  are  setting 
all  the  eggs  we  can  to  he  ready  for  a  large  demand  next  spring.  These 
hens  were  hatched  June  10  and  by  November  15  were  laying,  and  we  have 
had  eggs  for  our  own  use  and  to  sell  all  winter  and  spring. — A.  J.  C. 

Popular  In  Far  Away  Australia 

Australia. — I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  birds.  They  soon  got 
<.ver  the  moult  and  started  to  lay  and  have  laid  hve  eggs  each  every  seven 
day-  since.  I  never  saw  such  busy  chickens.  They  run  about  from 
daylight  to  dark.  Now  1  would  like  to  get  a  real  good  show  cockerel. 
-J.  D. 

Most  Eggs  In  Coldest  Weather 

Pennsylvania.— It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  1  have  a  pen  of  32 
of  Sheppard's  Famous  Single  Com])  Anconas  that  laid  663  eggs  last 
December  and  667  last  January,  an  average  for  the  two  months  of  67  per 
cent,  and  that  with  the  temperature  ranging  as  low  30  degrees  below  zero. 
The  largest  number  of  eggs  for  any  one  day.  29,  were  laid  on  the  coldest 


56 "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 

day,  January  lUth,  and  if  the  cold  had  any  effect  on  them  at  all,  it  was 
evidenced  only  in  their  greater  activity  and  increased  egg  production.  I 
am  very  glad  to  state  that  I  sincerely  believe  your  strain  of  Anconas  will 
lay  more  eggs  than  any  breed  of  fowls  in  existence. — R.  H.  T. 


"They  Just  Shell  Out  the  Eggs" 

Pennsylvania. — My  15  pullets  hatched  from  eggs  bought  of  you  are 
doing  fine.  They  just  shell  out  the  eggs  and  don't  take  a  day  off,  but  keep 
on  laying.  It  seems  to  be  their  long  suit — laying  eggs.  They  started  on 
time  at  4l/2  months.  My  Anconas  skinned  all  other  breeds  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. My  friends  gave  me  the  ha-ha  last  summer  about  the  fancy 
breed  of  chickens,  now  I  give  them  the  ha-ha  every  time  I  see  them.  The 
Anconas  have  it  on  all  of  them,  and  they  know  it  now. — T.  S.  B. 


20  Degrees  Below  Zero 

Michigan. — On  the  coldest  day  of  February,  20  below  zero,  we 
received  ten  eggs  of  eleven  hens  and  the  total  month  of  March  300  eggs. 
Any  one  wanting  chickens  to  lay  eggs  and  plenty  of  them  should  get  in 
line  with  the  rest  of  the  people  that  have  the  Sheppard  stock,  for  there  is 
none  better  on  the  market. — C.  B. 


"Laid  Three  Times  As  Many" 

Canada. — Eggs  arrived  in  good  order.  Had  a  wonderfully  good 
hatch  of  strong,  healthy  chicks.  I  find  Anconas  are  the  best  layers  I  ever 
had.  In  fact  they  have  laid  three  times  as  many  as  some  other  breeds. 
Am  well  pleased  with  them. — C.  H.  T. 


Fifteen  and  Sixteen  Eggs  Per  Day  Out  of  Seventeen 

Ohio. — I  am  very  much  gratified  at  the  results  of  the  seventeen  pullets. 
They  are  beautiful  and  cackle  from  daylight  to  dark  and  never  lie.  I  get 
fifteen  and  sixteen  eggs  per  day  out  of  the  seventeen. — A.  J.  G. 


AMONG    ANCOXAS' 


57 


Photo  of  large,  white,  fulUhodied  Ancona  eggs. 


Here    Are    a    Dozen    Points    That    Practically 
Summarize  the  Desirability  of  Anconas 

It  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  as  you  study  these  twelve  points,  that 
each  one  of  them  is  a  demonstratable  fact — and  not  mere  theory 
Thousands  of  breeders  all  over  this  smiling  land  of  ours  have  proven  to 
their  utmost  satisfaction,  every  one  of  these  twelve  distinctions.  I  am 
happy  to  set  them  down  in  this  brief  way  so  that  before  you  end  your  little 
journey  among  Anconas,  you  may,  in  these  last  few  moments,  form  a 
mental  picture  of  the  attractiveness  of  Anconas  from  every  standpoint. 

As  I  stated  at  the  beginning  of  this  trip,  I  am  writing  without 
prejudice  but  with  unbounded  enthusiasm — you  cannot  blame  me  for 
being  enthusiastic  when  I  have  secured  such  results,  can  you?  And  keep 
in  mind  that  my  experience  includes  many  other  kinds  of  poultry — not  just 
Anconas.  I  concentrated  upon  them  after  considerable  expensive  and 
trying  experiments  with  other  birds.  You  very  seldom  find  a  person 
changing  from  Anconas  once  they  get  the  right  start  with  these  busv 
queens  of  our  feathered  flock. 


58  "A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


Point  1 — Heavy  Layers 

Anconas  lay  large,  white  eggs,  producing  them  at  the  least  possible 
cost  per  dozen.  The  cost  per  dozen  will  run  as  low  as  ten  to  fifteen  cents. 
There  arc  no  better  egg  producers  anywhere.  A  "Famous"  Ancona  holds 
the  known  egg  record  for  a  single  bird,  in  the  hands  of  an  amateur,  laying 
A-il  eggs  during  one  year — this  record  being  produced  in  a  small  backyard 
poultry  house,  cold  and  drafty  in  winter.  And  my  customer  assures  me 
that  no  particular  thought  was  given  to  the  lien — she  was  simply  taken 
care  of   as  though   she  had  been  an  inexpensive  mongrel  chicken. 

"Famous"  Anconas  also  hold  the  world's  record  Eor  flock  average, 
this  being  produced  by  another  amateur,  his  pullets  laying  an  average  of 
256  eggs  each    for  entire  flock   for  one  year. 

Jt  seems  difficult  to  associate  large  white  eggs  with  a  bird  that  i> 
c  mparatively  so  small  as  the  Ancona.  but,  nevertheless,  these  eggs  are  of 
such  a  size,  color  and  uniformity,  as  to  command  the  very  best  market 
prices.     An   Ancona  egg  weighs  about  two  ounces  or   slightly  less. 

Point  2 — Early  Layers 

Pullets  begin  laying  at  from  four  to  live  months  old  and  produce 
prolifically  until  they  are  four  years  old  at  least.  Some  of  my  best  layer- 
are  four-year-old  hens.  You  don't  need  to  replace  old  stock  each  year  or 
each  two  years,  as  must  be  done  with  practically  all  other  birds  if  the 
flock  is  kept  profitahle — and  profit  is  one  of  the  important  factors  in  this 
business. 

Point  3 — Winter  Layers 

Anconas  are  A-No.  1  winter  layers — just  at  the  time  when  eggs  are 
commanding  highest   prices.     They   require   no   concentrated    or   expensive 

f K.      The    following   letter   is    typical    of    hundreds    I    have    in   my   hies. 

They  are  very  successful  in  the  vigorous   Western   States  and  Canada. 

20  To  30  Degrees  Below  Zero 

North  Dakota. — My  pullets  are  laying  eggs  every  day  now  in  our 
cold  climate.  The  last  two  weeks  have  been  awfully  cold,  an  average  of 
20  to  M)  below  zero  steady  and  yet  I  am  the  only  one  around  here  getting 
more  eggs  than  it  takes  for  cakes  and  other  household  uses.  I  sell  eggs  to 
my  neighbors  that  have   from  50  to  100-   II.  \Y. 


AMONG    ANCONAS 


59 


Laying 

at 

4  Months 

10  Davs 


Laying 

at 

4  Months 

7  Davs 


Point  4 — Small  Eaters 

Anemias  eat  less  than  any  other  bird  This  is  a  big  point  to  consider, 
especially  when  all  feed  must  he  purchased,  as  is  the  ease  with  the 
suburbanite,   and   when   prices  are  h'gh. 

Point  5 — Beauty 

T  scarcely  need  to  remark  further  on  the  fact  that  Anemias  are 
beautiful    fowls,   a   flock   of   them   lends   a    sparkle   to  any   landscape— and 

catches  the  eye  of  all  beauty  lovers.     The  black  background,  contrasting 
with   the  clean   white   mottles,  has   a  lustrous  green   sheen. 


6U "A     LITTLE    JOURXEV 

Point  6— Fine,  Flavory  Table  Fowls 

Ancona  meat  is  of  fine  grain  and  excellent  flavor.  They  dress  for 
quality  rather  than  quantity. 

Point  7 — Vigorous  Baby  Chicks 

Baby  chicks  are  hardy  and  vigorous.  The  death  rate  is  low.  They 
are  independent  little  rascals,  quick  to  develop  to  broiler  stage.  Fertility 
of  the  eggs  and  strength  of  the  germs  insure  a  good  hatch. 

Point  8 — One  Standard  Color  Scheme 

There  is  but  one  color — the  mottled  black  and  white.  If  a  person 
wants  Anconas,  he  can  get  down  to  business  with  them  without  discussing 
such  colors  as  brown,  buff,  red,  white,  black,  silver,  barred,  penciled, 
Columbian,  partridge,  and  so  on.  Naturally,  I  firmly  believe  that  Anconas 
can't  be  improved  upon  in  this  respect.  Considerable  confusion  and 
opportunity  for  dissatisfaction  is  avoided. 

Point  9— Quiet  Birds 

Anconas  are  not  wild  as  some  people  suppose.  They  possess  more 
poise  than  most  Mediterranean  birds — and  yet  haven't  a  lazy  hone  in  their 
bodies. 

Point  10 — Anconas  Are  Non-Sitters 

You  seldom  hear  of  an  Ancona  cluck — a  broody  hen  is  a  rare  bird. 

Point  11 — Great  Demand 

There  is  a  tremendous  and  increasing  demand  for  stock  and  eggs 
and  all  worthy  Ancona  breeders  are  scarcely  able  to  fill  orders.  The 
average  profit  per  hen,  whether  used  as  utility  stock  on  a  commercial  egg 
farm,  or  as  fancy  stock  to  produce  eggs  for  hatching,  will  vary  from 
$2.00  to  $25.00,  depending  upon  conditions,  the  fame  of  the  breeder  and 
the  economy  of  care  and  operation.  It  is  a  mighty  poor  manager  who 
can't  make  some  profit  from  thoroughbred  Anconas.  Every  year  I  have 
to  turn  down  orders. 

Point  12 — Unusual  Prize  Opportunities 

There  are  two  thoroughly  organized  Ancona  clubs  to  stimulate  the 
exhibition  interests  of  Ancona  breeders.  This  gives  zest  to  the  game  and 
there  are  always  plenty  of  opportunities  to  win  ribbons,  medals,  cash  and 
trophies  at  county,  state  and  special  fairs  and  exhibits.  There  is  always 
a  crowd  in  the  Ancona  section ! 


ome 


of  to 


Y 


ANNOUNCEMENTS 

That  carry   trie  £ood  nev/S 

ofPROHTABLt  , 

ANCQNAS 

To  iho.usandsor  reade/rM*  - 


62 


/     LITTLE     JOl'RXILY 


f 

^^^            ^^^1 

: 

.SAje   u-e/if   to  Sew   York  and   won  Hist  as  pullet, 
year  and  again   won   first  as  hen. 


Returned  next 


Addenda 

A-  soon  as  1  concluied  writing  the  foregoing  chapters,  which  consti- 
tutes our  little  journey  among  Anconas,  1  handed  the  manuscript  to  a 
friend  whose  advice  is  pretty  good  in  matters  of  this  kind,  and  asked  him 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  63 


to   read    it   and   criticize   it.      Of    course    I    made   a   few    changes   which   he 
suggested,  but   what  he   said  to  me   was   something  like  this: 

"That's  a  very  interesting  little  journey  and  you  have  done  quite  well 
at  telling  the  entire  Ancona  story  without  heing  scientific  about  it.  It 
seems  to  me  as  though  this  is  going  to  comprise  the  world's  leading  text 
book  on  Anconas  for  some  years  to  come — but  this  book  doesn't  seem 
quite  complete  to  me.  You  have  painted  very  nicely  the  charm  and  beauty 
of  Anconas.  You  have  emphasized  conservatively  but  enthusiastically  the 
absolute  position  of  leadership  these  birds  occupy  when  it  comes  to  egg 
yield.  You  have  pointed  out  one  advantage  after  another  and  explained 
these  merits  so  that  almost  anyone  could  understand  and  appreciate  them. 

"But  it  doesn't  seem  to  me  as  though  you  have  sufficiently  emphasized 
the  general  position  of  leadership  Anconas  are  coming  to  occupy  in  the 
entire  poultry  kingdom,  nor  have  you  stressed  sufficiently  how  important 
it  is  that  thousands  of  poultry  breeders  throughout  the  country  should 
recognize  that  they  are  losing  money,  losing  time  and  losing  their  patience 
and  becoming  discouraged  with  chickens  because  of  making  the  wrong 
start  with  the  wrong  kind  of  birds. 

"It  almost  seems  to  me  as  though  it  is  intensely  the  common  sense 
thing  to  any  man  who  owns  poultry  ^i  any  kind  today,  to  sit  down  and 
write  to  all  of  the  leading  breeders  of  Anconas  and  study  into  the  merit 
>'i  each  respective  strain  and  then,  if  he  is  thoroughly  satisfied  in  his 
own  mind  that  the  facts  and  reasons  you  have  put  down  in  this  hook. 
Mr.  Sheppard.  are  correct,  let  him  stop  losing  money  with  poultry,  let  him 
stop  losing  yaluahle  time,  let  him  stop  losing  his  patience  and  courage, 
and  start  raisin;/  Anconas. 

"This  will  mean  a  decided  economic  gain  in  the  country.  It  would 
encourage  more  suburbanites  to  raise  chickens.  Then,  Air.  Sheppard,  if 
you  could  make  the  readers  of  this  book  realize  the  thrill  of  satisfaction 
and  pleasure  it  gives  to  receive  a  box  from  the  express  company  marked 
'Baby  Chicks'  in  great  big  type,  eagerly  take  this  package,  cut  the  twine. 
raise  the  lid  and  for  the  first  time  get  a  glimpse  at  beautiful,  fluffy  little 
baby  Ancona  chicks — lively  as  crickets,  as  soft  and  tiny  and  sweet  as  a 
bed  of  pansies— and  if  you  could  make  them  realize  how  simple  it  is  with 
a  little  horse  sense,  to  take  these  baby  chicks  and  successfully  rear  them — 
and  then  carry  the  mental  picture  a  little  bit  further  and  make  them  see 
the  low  cost  of  breeding  Anconas,  and  then,  can't  you  in  some  way,  put 
these  students  of  the  Ancona  book  into  tin-  atmosphere  so  that  they  will 
picture    the    ali    important    'Little    Journey' — the    journey    from    home    to 


54 


"A     LITTLE    JULRXEY 


poultry  house — the  journey  which  terminates  in  the  finding  of  large,  vrhite 
eggs  or  in  the  failure  to  find  them. 

"If  you  could  make  these  students  realize  that  the  little  journey  to 
the  Ancona  poultry  house  is  always  successful — even  if  made  in  the  dead 
of  bitter  cold  winter — in  the  blustery  New  England  winters  of  Maine  or 
Canada — and  if  you  could  carry  the  students  of  this  book  from  one  Show 
to  another,  sweeping  before  them  glances  and  comments  of  admiration, 
capturing  worth-while  prizes — if  you  could  paint  a  composite  picture  of 
the  superior  results  secured  from  raising  Anconas.  then  I  should  call  thi^ 
manuscript  complete !" 

I  have  set  this  down  just  about  as  my  friend  gave  it  to  me,  because 
it  seems  as  though  he  had  the  true  Ancona  breeders'  enthusiastic  view- 
point.    Accept  every  word  of  his  discussion  as  gospel  truth — which  it  is. 


^¥r< 


AMONG    ANCONAS' 


65 


Ancona  breeders  are  invited  to  join  the  International 
Ancona  Club.  Membership  and  animal  dues  $1.00  per 
year. 

H.    CECIL   SHEPPARD,    President, 

Berea,   Ohio 


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"A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


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AMONG    ANCONAS' 


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"A     LITTLE    JOURNEY 


AMONG    ANCONAS"  69 


ANCONAS 

You  may  talk  about  your  Plymouth  Rock,  your  Wyandotte,  or  Red; 
You  may  claim  that  in  a  contest,  each  one  came  out  ahead  ; 
You  may  talk  about  Minorcas,  or  the  wonderful   (?)   Campine, 
But  for  eggs  in  zero  weather,  it's  the  Ancona  for  mine. 
You    may   preach    about   your    Leghorns,    and    the   many   eggs    they    lay 
You  may  talk  of  table  qualities  in  other  breeds  that  pay  ; 
You  may  sing  about  your  Orpington,  or  the  Brahma  or  the  Game, 
And  what  you  say  about  -each  one,  may  count  for  all  the  same. 
But   when   you   come    to    summing   up,    just   keep   your   fingers    straight 
Subtract  for  fault,  for  merit  add,  to  each  in  proper  rate, 
And  when  you  draw  a  line  across,  and  add  your  lingers  up, 
You  will   sec  that   Miss   Ancona  carries  off  the  silver  cup. 
You'll  find  that  with  the  best  of  them  she  is  right  there  with  the  looks- 
It's  the  bird  in  life  that  really  counts,  not  pictures  in  the  books. 
She's  like  some  men,  she  drinks  a  lot,  but  water  doesn't  cost, 
And   she'll  be   "Johnnie  on  the  spot"  when  eggs  are  worth  the  most. 
Now   when  you  get  down   to   the  eats  they  all  must  back  away. 
What  others  gobble  in  a  meal  will  feed  her  all  the  day. 
Now,    l)rother   man,    don't    be   a   chump— open    your    eyes    and    see; 
Get  a  great  big  hunch,  buy  a  speckled  bunch  and  be  happy  then,  like  me. 

—  (Written    by    James    L.    Hendn  ) 

Louisville,    Ky. 


70  "A     LITTLE    JOURNE] 


Reliable  Poultry  Journal 

By  Leo  J.  Brosemeb 


At  Foresl  City  Exposition  Anconas  made  an  impressive  display. 
II.  Cecil  Sheppard,  Berea,  Ohio,  coped  the  best  exhibit  of  Anconas,  rep- 
resenting both  types  of  combs,  we  have  ever  seen.  His  birds  show  the  won 
derful  progress  he  has  been  making,  not  alone  in  their  approach  to  Stand- 
ard shape,  but  also  in  preciseness  of  markings,  especially  in  the  Single 
Combs.  Mr.  Sheppard's  third  prize  Madison  Square  Garden  cockerel 
won  tii>t  as  a  cock  here,  winning  over  his  first  cockerel  at  the  Garden. 
This  bird  has  a  full  tail  of  tine  color,  a  nicely  .shaped,  full-breasted  body 
and  grand  head  points,  including  a  firm,  live-pointed  comb.  The  first, 
second  and  third  prize  cockerels  showed  many  signs  of  Sheppard  quality. 
First  was  a  .stylish  bird,  beautifully  mottled  with  fine  tips,  with  smart 
colored  wings,  good  length  of  neck  and  legs,  and  he  handled  himself  well. 
standing  or  moving.  His  tail  had  the  correct  natural  carriage!  Second 
was  a  beautiful  model,  reachy  and  long  in  body,  with  bright  red  eyes, 
pure  white  lobes  and  full  sickled  tail.  His  coloring  was  exquisite.  The 
mottling  was  distributed  over  his  body  like  Hakes  of  snow  over  a  gloss) 
greenish-black  mantle,  and  when  slightly  excited  he  exhibited  a  wonder- 
fully racv  style. 


On  luns,  Mr.  Sheppard  carried  the  first,  third  and  fifth  ribbons  back 
to  Berea.  All  single  prizes  on  pullets,  except  fifth,  were  captured  by  him. 
first  pullet  was  an  exceedingly  shapely  specimen,  not  as  far  along  as  some 
of  the  others,  but  covered  with  distinctly  mottled  plumage  of  that  satiny 
condition  which  indicates  perfect  health.  Her  show  companions  were  well 
finished,  witli  well  developed  heads  and  bodies,  making  lines  approaching 
those  of  fully  developed  Standard  females.  The  constant  attention. 
coupled  with  the  fashionable  blood  lines  of  the  Sheppard  exhibit,  played 
an  important  part  in  their  winning  the  Royai  Grand  Championship  for 
"best  display  of  any  one  variety  in  the  show"  on  the  Single  Comb  variety. 
and  "'Reserve  Royal  Grand  Championship"  for  the  "second  best  display 
of  any  one   variety  in  the  show*'  on    Rose   Comb   Anconas. 


In  this  later  variety  the  "Sheppard  bred  and  owned"  string  of 
cockerels  won  every  prize  put  forth.  The  sweep  of  back,  symmetrical 
long  body  and  tidy  head  points  of  the  first  prize  cockerel  were  particularly 
pleasing.  The  Sheppard  pullets  made  a  clean  sweep  of  prizes  from  first 
to  fifth.  In  the  pen  classes,  first  and  second  pens  in  both  varieties  were 
decorated  with  the  blue  and  the  red  ribbons.  Rarely  does  one  see  a  pen 
as  well  matched  as  first  Single  Comb  pen.  With  shape  bordering  on  the 
Standard  and  color  showing  the  clear  contrast  and  uniform  scattering  of 
tips,  this  pen  would  stand  out  in  almost  any  show.  The  same  gilt  edge 
quality  marked  the  first  Rose  Comb  pen. 


